The Journey of a Hero
by Schlitz-Kehle
Summary: Everything started with a wish. It was just a simple wish, after all. Alfred and his younger brother Matthew had wanted to live in the castle of Lord Braginski so that they didn't have to struggle with the outside world anymore. But what Alfred didn't know, was that his journey would begin with that particular wish... His journey of becoming a Hero.


The fluffy yellow bird flew in the snowy winter distance, landing upon a rock that stood up boldly from the ground. It twittered and hopped a few times, looking from left to right before sensing the wind, taking off into the sky once again. Light snow twirled and whirled along with the wind as the bird flew, who cooed obnoxiously in it's haste. It flew threw the birch forest, dodging this way and that between branches that seemed to stick outward a tad too far. Once it reached the end of the birch forest, it frantically fluttered it's wings, soaring higher into the sky as it passed over the countryside, reaching the town of Bowerstone. Large houses seemed to get taller and taller, leading up to an even larger home. The castle of Lord Ivan Braginski. The bird cooed loudly as it reached a ledge that stuck outward from a rather impressive building, landing upon the edge of it swiftly in one small dive. It hopped a few times before it took off into the air a final time, leaving behind something that found its way towards the ground...

...But it wasn't the ground that it landed upon.  
"Ach! Gross! A bird just shit on my head!" An unhappy blond haired blue eyed boy in ratty, dirty clothes exclaimed disgustedly, frantically rubbing the foul goo out of his hair.  
The lavender eyed boy with the blond shoulder length hair who stood beside the groaning boy couldn't help but giggle, reaching gloved hands towards the barrel of fire in front of them to get warm.  
"That's disgusting..." He whispered with a half giggle. "...Most say that is as lucky as finding a four leaf clover... Though I think I would prefer the clover..."

Once all the goo was out of his hair, the blue eyed boy raised an eyebrow at his brother, who continued to speak, gazing longingly at the castle in the snowy distance.  
"Castle Braginski looks so nice in the snow, Alfred..."

The boy addressed as Alfred nodded silently in agreement, staring upon the castle alongside his brother.  
"...If only we could live there." The lavender eyed boy finished with a bittersweet smile.  
The both of their parents were poor, and had died off due to the filthy circumstances of the outside world, leaving the two boys alone to fend for themselves.  
Alfred smiled widely and pointed at the castle, looking at him with glistening blue eyes.  
"Matthew, I promise you, as your hero, I'll find a way so the both of us _could _live there! I'll even talk to Lord Braginski himself! I bet he's super nice!" He spoke brightly.  
The boy addressed as Matthew laughed pleasingly, though the look that shimmered through his eyes was disbelief.

"...I hope so."  
Alfred opened his smiling mouth to speak again, but he was cut short when the two brothers heard a commotion down at the market. Matthew watched as people, who obviously lived better than the both of them, walked past, heading to the market. He looked at Alfred with a small smile, taking his hand.  
"Lets go see what everything is all about!" He spoke somewhat excitedly, pulling Alfred along before he could say anything in return.  
"M-Mattie, wait up!" He stumbled after his brother, who was walking a tad too quickly for Alfred's liking. He hated any fast movement. Or moving around, period. He supposed he was just naturally lazy.

Just ahead of the two was a rather large crowd of nicely dressed people, who all stood around a bright red caravan, with intricate, silver designs etched into the painted wood. Upon the roof of the caravan was a silver chimney that spewed smoke into the air above. Upon the front of the caravan was a sign that read, "Awesome Gilbert".

Alfred jumped up and down, trying to see above the tall people and failing miserably. Matthew pulled Alfred along, weaving through the crowd so they made it to the front. They moved in between the adults with difficulty, a few cursing and spitting at them as they walked by. Eventually, the two made it to the front, the both of them staring at the inside of the caravan in wonder. There were various mysterious objects inside of it; unfamiliar doodads and whatnot hung from the ceiling of the caravan, smaller objects were placed on shelves, and large, slim objects were stored on either side of the caravan.  
A white haired man with strange crimson eyes and a lavender top hat upon his head turned to the crowd, beaming a sharp smile at anyone he caught eyes with.  
Alfred glanced at Matthew, seeing an entranced expression and a light blush upon his brother's face.

"Ladies und Gentlemen!" The albino man spoke with a German accent, catching Alfred's attention. "I am the awesome traveling merchant, Gilbert Beilschmidt! I thank everyone of you awesome people for coming to purchase! After all, it is rare that someone as awesome as myself would come for a visit at a..." The albino pondered for a moment, his smile faltering momentarily. "...slightly unawesome place like this!"  
Alfred watched him curiously, Matthew observing Gilbert's every movement.

Gilbert turned to an object covered by a dark violet sheet and slipped the sheet off, exposing an expensive looking mirror. The crowd gazed at it in awe, as if it had some other purpose other than to gaze at their reflections.

Alfred leaned towards Matthew and whispered in his ear, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he kept his eyes upon the merchant.  
"...That's just a stupid mirror..."

Matthew remained silent, giving a slight nod as he continued to stare at the Albino in astonishment. Alfred sighed and shook his head, looking back at the self-centered merchant before him.

"This is an awesome mirror that holds awesome magical abilities that you losers are clearly too stupid to behold! As long as you look into it, it will make your ugly unawesome faces look awesomely beautiful! For only one-thousand gold pieces, this could be yours!" Gilbert continued, gesturing to the mirror dramatically.

A man with a scarred face and thinning white hair behind Alfred and Matthew raised his hand, looking at the merchant hopefully.

"I'll take it!" He called. Matthew looked at the man with slight confusion as to why he would buy something so obviously fake while Alfred looked at him like he was truly, tragically stupid.

Gilbert pointed at him and smirked.

"Awesome! But it will only work if you look at it in complete darkness!"  
The man grinned proudly while Alfred face palmed and Matthew giggled in disbelief under his breath, focusing his attention back upon the albino.

Gilbert's expression became serious as he walked towards the table beside him, gesturing to a silver object that shimmered in the slight light. Alfred narrowed his eyes, sticking his lips out like a fish in concentration. He couldn't see far away, and without glasses, well, looking could be quite difficult.

Matthew nudged him and whispered into his ear.

"Its a music box, Al."

Alfred's expression twisted back to normal and he nodded slowly.

"...Oh."

Gilbert began to speak up, grasping everyone's attention once again.

"...Now this is truly a _marvel_, an awesome magical instrument crafted by the ancients themselves! If you twist the handle, you can grant any one wish you desire! And the awesome thing is, is that it costs only five gold pieces!"

As the crowd began to hum and speak to one another, Matthew turned to Alfred, looking at the ground sorrowfully.

"...Lets go back, Al. I-It was a mistake coming here... Everything here is... T-they aren't magic... I don't want false hope by believing in something that doesn't exist..."

The crowd began to disperse since nobody seemed to care for the petite music box, leaving the merchant to stand in case anyone decides to change their mind.

Alfred smiled a bit warmly, patting Matthew's back comfortingly. The two turned to go back to their hovel when they saw man in crimson robes and messy black hair standing before them. He appeared to be blind, staring in their direction with a small smile. Matthew squeaked in surprise, clinging to his brother, and Alfred peered up at the man with a raised eyebrow. He was about to mutter a quick 'Excuse me', when the man spoke.

"...Magic exists in places most don't look. It is always there, begging to be found, but most are too blind to look." He spoke with a Japanese accent.

Alfred scoffed, looking the man up and down with furrowed eyebrows.

"Dude! Look at yourself! _You're _the one who is blind!"

The man chuckled quietly, his smile turning into one of amusement.

"That may be true, but I have found many things. Magic is one of them. And with that music box up there..." He pointed a pale finger towards the said music box that sat in the caravan, the two boys glancing at it over their shoulders. "...Your one true wish may come true. The both of you then may have hopes of becoming the opposite of what you are today."

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows, gazing angrily at the blind man.

"B-But the hope isn't t-there! A-And magic isn't real! It will never happen!" He got tears in his eyes, hiding his face. "...I-It all isn't real..."

Alfred looked at his brother in concern, hugging him and glaring at the man.

The man's smile faltered upon hearing Matthew's shaking voice and he turned, as if preparing to leave.

"...For five gold coins... You may have the solution to your problems. Take a chance. Think about it." The man began to walk away, his sandal-ed feet crunching the snow on the ground as he left them standing there.

Alfred turned to Matthew, looking at him questionably. Matthew looked back up at him, wiping the slight tears from his eyes. They stood like that for a while before Alfred spoke to Matthew with a comforting smile.

"...Its worth a try, right? If it doesn't happen, well, tomorrow is a new day."

A slight smile began to tug at the corners of Matthew's lips, no matter how hard he tried not to.

"...Y-Yeah... I-I guess so..." Matthew straightened up and Alfred took a gentle hold of his arm, beginning to walk along with him. As they passed the caravan, Matthew asked Gilbert nervously if he could hold onto the music box for them. The albino thought for a moment before nodding, flashing a smile.

"I could do that."

Matthew blushed and Gilbert, upon seeing it, winked at him. Matthew quickly looked away, his blush darkening. Alfred cracked up laughing, pulling him along.

"Thank you, sir!"

After the two of them were further enough away, Matthew glanced at Alfred, embarrassed.

"A-Alfred... D-Don't laugh, it isn't funny..."

"Yes it is!" He said with another laugh.

"No it isn't! One day, you'll be blushing for someone too!"

Alfred shook his head, shrugging.

"Nah... There is no girl in all of Albion that could make me blush like that _man _made you blush."

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows slightly, slapping Alfred in the arm.

Alfred flinched in mewled in pain, grasping his arm and rubbing it, shooting his brother a small glare.

"What was that for?!"

"You were being an ass, Alfred."

They stopped in front of guard who was walking upon the streets and he took a step in front of them, now standing before them. Matthew stopped walking, stopping Alfred as well as they peered up at the guard.

Said guard's expression appeared desperate, his gloved fists clenching and unclenching frantically.

The two boys smiled, familiar with him.

"Hiya, Feliks!" Alfred greeted friendly, waving at him.

The blond haired, feminine man smiled.

"Like, hello boys! Can you like totally help me find my warrants? The wind just, like, blew them out of my arms! I need them, or else I'm gonna get terminated by Lord Braginski." His light, feminine voice began to shake towards the end of his final sentence.

Alfred and Matthew exchanged glances, and Matthew looked up at him with a smile.

"Okay! How many warrants are there?"

Feliks held five fingers up in front of Matthew's face, making him go cross-eyed for a moment.

"Like, five of them."

Alfred shifted his weight slightly, sighing.

"I'm sorry Feliks, but we can't help you. We're trying to get five gold coins for the music box right now-"

"I can like, totally give you one gold coin if you find 'em all!" Feliks exclaimed with a huge, stoked grin.

The boys' eyes lit up.

"R-Really? Thanks Feliks!" Matthew happily said to the feminine guard.

The guard shrugged and began to walk past them.

"I'll be like, at my post."

"Alright! See ya later!" Alfred giggled, running with Matthew. "We gotta do this fast, Mattie!"

Matthew nodded in agreement, giggling with his brother as they ran around town in search of warrants. They stopped when they heard a man down the street call, "One picture and I'll pay ya a gold piece! Don't worry, it will develop in no littler than three months!"

Alfred looked at Matthew with a smile and Matthew, getting the hint, ran in the direction of that voice, stopping in front of a stage with a painted background of a sunny town upon it. There was a man standing in front of the stage with a three-legged camera and his arms crossed over his chest, tapping his foot in disappointment as the citizens kept refusing to get their picture taken, claiming that the development of the photos took too long. Alfred, knowing Matthew was too shy, pat the man's back gently.

"Hello, mister...?"

The man looked over his shoulder at them and he instantly got a smile upon his tanned face.

"My my, hola you two! My name is Antonio, have you boys come to get your picture taken?"

Matthew nodded mutely while Alfred fist pumped.

"You bet we did!" He spoke enthusiastically and a tad too loud for Matthew's liking.

Antonio's smile grew a bit and he gestured to the stage.

"Alright! Now, just hop up onto the stage and do a pose for me, would you?"

Alfred nodded quickly and climbed onto the stage with Matthew, Antonio telling them where to stand and where to turn just right. When the picture was ready to be taken, Antonio went gazed into the eyepiece.

"Alright, do your pose! And on three, the picture with be taken!"

Alfred put his thumbs up, winking at the camera, while Matthew shyly gazed up at the camera, twiddling his thumbs slowly.

"Uno... Dos... Tres!" The camera suddenly flashed, making the two boys flinch in surprise, temporarily blinding them. After a moment or two, Antonio told the boys that it was alright for them to hop down from the stage.

"This is going to be my best work yet! Ha! Gracias!" He reached into his coat pocket and handed the gold piece he had been keeping inside it to Matthew, who grasped it tightly with a proud smile.

Alfred waved at Antonio and began to run with Matthew once more, taking a shortcut through an alleyway. Once they reached it, Alfred saw a piece of parchment upon the ground and grinned.

"A warrant!"

Matthew laughed.

"Yay, we found one!" He put the coin in his pocket and clapped his hands happily. Alfred lifted the warrant from the ground and folded it, sliding it into his own pocket. They both walked left, everything silent around them until they heard a wail in the distance and the sound of children laughing.

The brothers hurried forward, determined to see what was going on. It wasn't the first time someone got beat up in the town they were living in, but it wasn't right to let the wail go unheard. The sight ahead of them caught them a tad off guard, for they were expecting it to be a small child getting rustled with. But what they saw, was a small polar bear, holing up into a corner miserably. It whimpered and let out a shrill wail as a tall, ugly kid brought a stick down upon it. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise when Matthew charged forward, pulling the kid away from the polar bear.

"What the hell do think you're doing?!" He glared menacingly up at him. The children around them wore the same expression as Alfred, each taking a few steps back. The polar bear looked up at Matthew with new-found hope.

The kid sneered.

"Having a little fun, what is it to you!" He threw his fist forward, decking Matthew right in the face and causing him to fall to the ground with a pained scream, clutching his cheek.

"Oh my god, did he just hit a girl?" A child laughed.

The Kid grinned and turned towards Alfred. "Yeah! Now I'm about to hit another one!"

Alfred's face turned dark and he took a couple quick strides forward, withdrawing the wooden sword he had made himself a while back from the makeshift scabbard tied to his back. From the look in the kid's eyes, Alfred could make out second thoughts. But he didn't feel merciful enough to let this kid slide. He brought the sword down upon the kid a few times before the kid took a few steps back.

"F-Fine! S-Stop it! You nutter!" The kid whined, turning and running away. All of the children that had once been around the area had gone back to their own business, a few leaving and a few staying to play street games. Alfred glared after the kid for a while before sliding the wooden sword back into the makeshift scabbard, holding his hand out to Matthew.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes softening.

Matthew nodded slowly and took his brother's hand, allowing Alfred to help him up. The polar bear crawled towards them and got on it's back legs, putting his paws upon Matthew's knees.

The two boys stared at curiously for a moment before the bear spoke, surprising the living hell out of them.

"Who are you?" It asked in an extremely high pitched voice, gazing up at the both of them.

"U-Um... M-M-Matthew..." Matthew stuttered, a tad afraid of the bear at the moment.

Alfred pointed to himself with his thumb, grinning.

"And I am Alfred! The hero!"

The bear got back down on all four of its legs, snuggling against Matthew's legs.

"Can I go home with you? I'm hungry."

Matthew chuckled quietly at the bear's eagerness and gently pet it's head.

"I'm sorry, but you can't..." The bear looked up sadly. "...Alfred and I barely have enough food to fend for ourselves."

The bear nodded in understanding, its ears drooping.

Matthew hunkered down and hugged the bear tightly, said bear caught off guard by the show of affection.

"...You're a good boy though." Matthew comforted, and the bear sniffed at his hair thankfully. He gently let go and stood back up, looking at Alfred.

"Lets go now. We don't really have much time."

Alfred nodded in agreement and the two walked away from the bear, who stared after them.

"Yeah, it would suck if the day ended before we can do anything."

Throughout the rest of the day after that, the two boys went around the town to earn the gold coins and to search for the rest of the warrants. Alfred had gone inside a storage shed for a man who was too afraid of beetles to kill them himself with a worn toy gun he had received when his parents were still alive, earning a gold coin for both he and Matthew. After they had left that place, they found two warrants on the ground; one they found on their own, and the other, the polar bear had brought to them between it's furry lips.

Again, it had insisted in going home with them and Matthew sadly turned him down politely, both of the boys thanking him gratefully. The polar bear had crawled away, its fluffy white tail twitching this way and that to express its feelings of sorrow. Alfred and Matthew then assisted a drunken man, taking a bottle of bear back for him from a snoring man in a nearby alley. By the time they had gotten back to him, however, his wife was out, yelling at him for taking advantage of such innocent children. So Matthew had handed the woman the bottle of beer instead of handing it to the man; saving his life. The woman handed them a gold piece and was about to go inside until she noticed a piece of parchment sticking up from inside the bottle. Gawking at it, she withdrew it and handed it to them, assuming it was theirs.

Four warrants, three gold coins. So far, so good.

The brothers thanked them and walked away, back through the town in search of the final warrant. Once they found it in a ditch, they walked back to Feliks' post, handed them to him with large smiles on their faces.

The feminine man thanked them and handed them a gold coin he had been saving just for them, giving the both of them a large 'fabulous' hug before they turned and left. Just east of the post stood a house, where a young man gazed up lovingly at his love who stood upon the balcony above. They talked about running away together, getting married, and starting a little family of their own until the young woman's mother stepped out onto the balcony, telling the young man to bugger off and stay away from her daughter. The young man nodded slowly, his shoulders slumping as he walked back to his small wagon of produce.

Matthew and Alfred walked up to him, asking him if he was going to be alright, and the man ended up telling them his hopes and dreams with the young woman he had been speaking to previously, handing them a letter. He asked them to take it to the young woman with a sorrowful tone, doubting that the plan would go through. They both nodded and walked up to the door of the rather extravagant house, knocking on the door. The cranky old mother answered the door, asking them what the hell they wanted.

Matthew shyly asked for a stamp for their letter since he and his brother were both dirt poor. The old woman's eyes lit up and she apologized, leading the both of them inside. Matthew stayed downstairs with the woman to keep her occupied, talking to her about the tragedies of Alfred's and his own past.

Alfred refused the urge to laugh as he quietly made his way up the stairs and into what he supposed was the young woman's room. She turned to him and smiled sadly, saying hello in the most sweet, sincere way. It made Alfred think her mother was the most heartless woman in all of Albion. He withdrew the letter from his pocket, handing it to the young woman with a friendly smile. The young woman took it curiously and opened it, removing the letter from inside it. Alfred watched as she read it and she got tears in her eyes, slapping a hand over her mouth. She looked up at Alfred thankfully and ran out to the balcony, looking down at the young man by his produce wagon with tears rolling freely down her face.

"I love you, Monty!" She all but screamed at him joyously. The young man looked up at her and got tears in his eyes as well, smiling.

"I love you too, darlin'!" He called back.

Alfred quickly ran down the stairs, dragging Matthew out along side him before the woman turned with the stamp, staring at the empty space where Matthew once stood for a moment. She blinked a few times and laughed at herself.

"...I must be seeing things..."

Once outside, the young man ran up to the both of them, sweeping them into a large hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He let them go and wiped his eyes, handing them a gold coin for their trouble.

"It was no problem at all, sir! After all, our job is to save people!" Alfred giggled, running with Matthew back to 'Awesome Gilbert' caravan. The merchant looked up at them in surprise from the seat he had been slumbering in, smiling tiredly.

"You get the coins, boys?"

Alfred nodded eagerly, handing them to him as Matthew hid behind him shyly, a bright blush igniting his whole face.

Gilbert took the coins and slid them into his pocket, catching Matthew's eyes with his own with a smirk. Matthew's blush darkened and he looked away.

The albino turned, grabbing the music box from the table beside him, handing it to the boys.

"Danke for your purchase, you awesome boys!" He winked. Before they had left, Gilbert gently took a hold of Matthew's hand, kissing it.

Matthew had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from squealing in surprise, the Prussian pulling away. Alfred rolled his eyes a bit and walked off from the merchant with a crimson Matthew in tow.

Once they reached where they reached their hovel, Alfred set the music box upon the ledge of a stone railing, gesturing to it.

"You can turn the handle, Mattie. After all, you want it the most."

Matthew grinned at his brother, trying, but struggling not to get his hopes up if it didn't work. He reached a shaky hand out to grasp the handle sticking out the side of the music box, twisting it a few times.

"I wish... I wish..." He whispered.

The music box began to play quietly, but the tune increased in volume, a small light shining up to the sky from the top of it. It sounded sorrowful yet hopeful at the same time, and the music box began to spin slowly, increasing in speed until it exploded in a shower of shimmering dust.

Matthew and Alfred stared with blank expressions and wide eyes for a while before tears filled Matthew's eyes.

"I-It didn't work... I knew it was fake!"

Alfred poked at the leftover dust on the ledge.

"But what happened with the box Mattie... I-It was weird..."

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows and stormed off to their hovel.

"But nothing changed, didn't it...?"

Alfred sighed and followed after him. When they reached their hovel, there the polar bear sat, staring at them expectantly.

Matthew's expression softened and he let out a deep breath.

"Fine, you can stay, but don't expect to be pampered..." He walked up the poor steps of the hovel, going to lay on his side of it. "...I'm going to sleep, Al. You should too." The bear curled up in the middle of the hovel, closing its eyes. Alfred nodded slowly and walked up the steps, going to his side of the hovel to sleep as well.

"...Okay. Its has been a long day anyway..." He closed his eyes once he was comfortably laying down. "...Night, Mattie."

"Night, Al."

…:oOo:...

Later that night, Alfred slowly woke up to the excited squeals of the polar bear. Sitting up, he reached up to his face to rub his eyes when Matthew attacked him into a hug.

"It came true, Alfred!" He laughed.

Alfred blinked a few times, confused.

"...What?"

"The wish, Al! Guards are here to take us to Lord Braginski's castle!" He let go of Alfred, running hurriedly out of the hovel.

Alfred watched after him, but when the realization hit, his eyes widened and he gasped, hurrying to catch up after Matthew.

"W-Wait up!" He called.

When they reached a small group of guards, they had stopped running and the head of the guards smiled.

"Hello, boys. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the bear must stay."

Matthew pouted and looked over his shoulder at the polar bear.

"Aw..." The polar bear nodded slowly and ran off into town; knowing how bad the boys had wanted to go.

The head guard's smile never once faltered and he turned, leading the group of guards, including the boys, to the castle in the distance.

"Lets go to the castle!"

After a long period of time walking to the castle with the guards, they finally made it. The head guard talked to a man who appeared to be the butler at the front doors, telling him that they had gathered up the two boys Lord Braginski had wanted.

The butler nodded and the guards walked away. He looked at the two boys and offered a slightly shy smile.

"Hello, You may call me Toris. Lets go to his study, shall we?" He laughed nervously.

"Hell yeah!" Alfred spoke enthusiastically, and Matthew sent him a look of disapproval.

Toris' laugh lost all nervousness upon hearing this and he turned, leading the boys down the hall to Lord Braginski's study.

"Not to be rude or anything, but you two seem to be unused to being inside a home like this." Toris attempted to begin a conversation, hoping he wasn't offending the brothers at all.

"Are you kidding, its ginormous in here!" Matthew laughed quietly.

"It is." Toris agreed. As Matthew and Toris were in deep conversation about life in the castle and how long Matthew and Alfred had dreamed of coming here, Alfred looked around in wonder. The carpet in which they were walking upon was a deep crimson, as well as the paint on the walls. There were expensive looking painting hung up on the walls in golden frames, portraits of a white haired, lavender eyed man, a woman with long pale blond hair, and a little girl, with shoulder length blond hair that donned an emerald ribbon and innocent green eyes.

Alfred had assumed the man was Lord Braginski, and the other two were his wife and child. It was a shame the two of them had died in a tragic accident the year before. Alfred's expression saddened at the idea of losing those you love.

"Ah, Good evening Master Kirkland." Alfred heard Toris say, grasping his attention. He looked to the right to see a short man with messy blond hair and piercing green eyes walk past with a blue and gray attire, his eyes focused ahead.

Alfred's eyes widened and the man addressed as Master Kirkland glanced at him, their eyes locking momentarily. Alfred felt his heart skip a beat and the man looked away, walking towards the door without a word.

Toris sighed when the sound of the grand doors closing echoed down the hall.

"...An Englishman of few words, you see. A good friend of Lord Braginski."

Alfred looked at Matthew when he nudged him, giving him a knowing look that seemed to say 'I told you so'. Alfred put his hands on his own cheeks, feeling how warm they were. In vain, he tried to pat the blush away, continuing to walk after Toris.

They came to a stop in front of two more grand doors and Toris turned to them, the expression on his face grave and serious.

"Once you are in there, you are to use manners and speak politely. And you will not. Talk about Lady Natalia or little Lili."

The two boys nodded and Toris turned back to the door with a small smile, opening it for them. They stepped into the study and looked at the white haired lord that stood at a table, writing down a few things in what appeared to be a journal.

"Lord Braginski! The boys are here!"

Without looking up, the lord chuckled.

"Good. Thank you, Toris."

Toris nodded, a tad of afraid of the Lord, and left, closing the doors behind him. After a moment or two of watching the Lord write in a journal, the Lord set his quill down, turning towards the boys with a smile. The smile had appeared to be friendly, but there was just something about it that scared Alfred to death.

"Hello, boys. What are your names?" He asked, speaking in a Russian accent.

Matthew stuttered nervously, doing a small bow of respect to the Lord.

"I-I'm Matthew... A-and this is my big brother... A-Alfred..."

The Lord bowed in return to both of them.

"Well, it is a nice pleasure to meet you. You can call me Ivan, if you'd like."

"...O-Okay... I-Ivan..." Matthew said, smiling shakily.

Alfred stared at Ivan curiously and Ivan, as if noticing the boy's staring, looked right at him.

"Where are you two from?"

Alfred paled and looked at the ground, avoiding the Lord's gaze.

"...We were born here... In Bowerstone. We barely leave here, even when the cold is too much to bare."

Ivan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Oh my. That is rather upsetting. What happened to your parents?"

"..._Damn this guy knows how to make me mad..._" Alfred thought, looking up at the Lord with a blank expression, trying to keep his mix of emotions at bay.

"... They died when Mattie and I were five."

"That is... Tragic. I'm sorry to hear that." He looked at Matthew and began to walk around the room. "...I may be asking too much questions, but... Do you know why I called you here?"

"...W-Well... Alfred and I thought you asked the guards to take us here... So w-we can live here... We made a wish... And we thought it came true."

Ivan chuckled silently under his breath, stopping in front of a circular stone platform on the ground with carvings in it.

"Well... Perhaps that can be arranged." He looked at the both of them and gestured to the platform. "Would you mind standing on this platform for me...?"

Alfred's suspicions raised and Matthew shifted his weight nervously.

"U-Um..."

"Don't be afraid." Ivan smiled warmly, but it sent a cold shiver down Alfred's spine. "I'm just going to check and see if you are worthy of hero blood."

Alfred's eyes widened and Matthew raised an eyebrow, chuckling nervously.

"H-Heroes? Like in the old stories?"

"Da."

Matthew stepped onto the platform, and Alfred, not wanting his brother to be alone, stood next to him on it.

After a moment of silence, a bright blue light flashed through the carvings in the platform, the Lord's eyes widening in surprise.

"So its true! You are heroes!" He exclaimed.

Alfred found himself smiling at the idea, laughing as he looked at Matthew excitedly.

"We're heroes, Mattie!"

Matthew smiled at him and held his brother's hand, giggling.

Ivan reached a hand forward to touch the light but it zapped him, the blue light turning crimson instantly. Ivan pulled his hand back, the look upon his face turning into one of complete horror.

The excitement disappeared from the hearts of both Matthew and Alfred as well as their smiles.

"L-Lord Braginski? W-Whats wrong? Why did the light turn red?" Matthew stuttered, now completely terrified, his grip tightening on Alfred's hand.

Ivan grit his teeth visibly, heading to his desk and looking through various papers frantically.

"Be quiet!"

Alfred glared at Ivan, his heart beating in fear within his chest. He knew there was something wrong with this man he had once expected to be great.

"I was expecting you boys to be one of the three heroes in this world... But one of you is the fourth." Ivan muttered, lifting a pistol up from the desk.

Beside Alfred, Matthew's eyes filled with tears.

"Wh-What are you gonna do with that?" He whimpered and let out a fear filled scream when Ivan pointed the pistol at him. "A-Alfred I'm scared! Make him stop!" He clung to his older brother tightly.

Alfred tried to move, but found that he could not escape the platform as long as the crimson light was flowed up to the ceiling.

"I can't have this happen..." They hear Ivan mutter, clicking the toggle of his gun.

"W-Wait! No!" Matthew screamed, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "D-Don't!"

Ivan focused the gun on Matthew.

"No!" Matthew wailed before Ivan pulled the trigger, shooting him in the chest. Alfred screamed in shock when his brother's grip loosened and he fell to his knees on the ground slowly, his eyes wide as he saw his life flash before his eyes. He fell backward on the platform, breathing his last breath as his tear filled, lifeless eyes gazed up at the ceiling. Alfred's eyes filled with tears and he hunkered down next to his brother, holding him close and getting his blood all over him.

"N-No! Mattie!" He cried, tears escaping his eyes as he begged to the gods that this was a nightmare. Ivan pointed the gun at Alfred and Alfred froze, his tear filled eyes widening in pure fear and hopelessness.

"I can't allow you to live either...I'm sorry." Ivan whispered, his own eyes filling with tears.

Alfred gently set his brother down and stood up, backing away slowly with his hands up.

"N-No... Y-You can... P-Please don't do this... Please!"

Ivan pulled the trigger and Alfred shot back through the stained glass window behind him, breaking it and falling through it upon impact. Alfred's eyes rolled back and his eyelids fluttered closed as he fell to the streets of the town below.

His body cracked upon impact with the ground and he remained unconscious as the bullet in his chest bled and his brother's own blood stained his clothes, drying on his skin.

A polar bear crawled by and licked Alfred's hand, said hand twitching slightly.

A man with messy black hair and crimson robes walked up to the fallen boy's body with a blank expression, glassy eyes gazing down upon him.

"...Death is not your destiny today, Alfred..."


End file.
